


Finding Out

by Monsterpanda



Category: Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Utopia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-08-31 23:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8597950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monsterpanda/pseuds/Monsterpanda
Summary: Alessa slowly grows to understand who she is and who it is she loves. The first she cares for rejects her in favor of another. She and her friends must work together to end Jeanine's reign, stop her slaughter of divergents, and bring their world back from the brink of genocide.





	1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ayo peoples, I own nothing but new characters and ideas and shit. I make no money from writing and all rights go to the owners. I wanted to branch out and write stories for some other fandoms I’m in. 

I ran a brush through my short, dark, wavy hair before applying makeup. I thought it was the only way I was pretty, although many guys had told me otherwise and I should definitely believe most of them because they’re Candor. We don’t lie. Or, at least we aren’t supposed to but my brother goes against that quite a lot. But anyway, their compliments, while I do thank them, make me feel uncomfortable and do very little for my self-esteem. I was sixteen and still had not formed any sort of physical attraction for guys, my mother told me not to worry that I just needed to throw myself out there and since then has tried to set me up with way too many guys but thankfully my brother has scarred them away. 

I smoothed out my dress and slipped on my blazer before looking at myself in the full length mirror, every faction other than Abnegation had mirrors at their disposal. They found it selfish, I can see why they did. 

I stood at a normal 5’4, roughly the same height as my mother. My brother was much taller like our father. Our eyes were a deep, dark green that reflected light and looked like emeralds when they did. The only other thing we had in common was our hair. Dark with deep waves, shining even in darkness. I loved my hair, I wanted to grow it out but my father accidentally burned my hair so I had to chop a whole lot off. I also had freckles sprayed over my cheeks and nose but he had only had a few on his nose area. 

“Alessa!” I groaned as I heard my mother’s shrill scream. “Your cat has caught another rat!” I giggled as I walked out of my room, my school bag in hand. I walked into the kitchen where my mother was sitting on the counter and my cat was sitting just below her with a live rat in her mouth.

“Hey there Cally, what is that you have?” I crouched beside her petting her little furry bed and letting her drop the rat into my hand. “Such a good girl” she purred and walked off to her bed, I was afraid I was going to leave her. Maybe I could take her with me. I was sure my bag was big enough for her. 

“Well, the rat’s fine. She never hurts them” my mother was still on the counter paralyzed with fear. “Mom, the rat isn’t going to hurt you, he’s nice.” With that she hesitantly got off the counter but did not take her chances by introducing herself. I rolled my eyes, my brother finally came downstairs. 

“Another rat?” he asked, “And let me guess, not dead? Useless cat” he smirked. 

“Shut up Peter, she isn’t useless. She won’t kill without being provoked, this rat did nothing.”

“Then let me have him” he made a grab for him but I was faster, I turned and moved to my right.

“Ew, no. You’ll hurt him for no reason. At least we know what you won’t be getting today; Amity.” He smiled and shook his head as he grabbed a piece of toast. I grabbed an apple before following him out of the house, Candor was closest to the school so most walked. I had to suffer through walking with my brothers friends, I didn’t mind walking with my brother but his friends were horrible and around them he only showed the side that matched them. 

I found a bush and set down the rat, he scampered away as soon as I put him down. Peter yelled at me to hurry him, “Don’t tell me what to do” I growled as I walked past him and into the school. Christina was waiting for me by the faction history class room, which was our first class, “Hey” I smiled.

“Hey, your brother is still watching you” she rolled her eyes. I groaned and nearly banged my head on the wall, he was over protective and assumed everyone I came in contact with wanted to have a little fun. I hoped that wasn’t true. 

“Yeah, I’ve realized. Let’s get to class, I feel like I’m about to puke”

“I know what you mean, I mean I’m definitely not that nervous but I was this one time when…” she then launched into a full conversation about this time her dog Chunkers got really sick and had to be taken to the vet. 

I sighed as I watched my brother knock over a little Abnegation girl, I’ve never seen her before. Or at least I don’t think I have but I’m looking at her back. “My brother is an ass. I should go help her.”

“No, who knows what other people will try to do to you. You’ll be labeled as the ‘Stiff lover’ and I’ll have to hurt people” Christina said with a smile as she grabbed my arm.

“You’re so weird” I half smiled.

“So, what do you think you’ll get?” she asked, I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t really know, I didn’t mind telling the truth so Candor could be one. But I also like knowledge and peace and selflessness and recklessness. All to an extent of course. I was really depending on the aptitude test to tell me where I needed to be placed. 

“Well, I don’t think I want to stay in Candor” she looked sad, I can understand why. Choosing to leave would be choosing to leave your whole family and risking it all to start over. 

“Hey, your family loves you and will support everything you do. Just make sure you pass inanition” I smiled encouragingly.

“Well look at you, Amity” she joked with her trade mark smirk. She was a tall girl with long slender legs and a willowy frame. She had short, almost black, hair, warm brown skin, and her eyes were like cups of swirling black coffee. 

“Shut up” I punched her arm as the bell rang nearly giving me a heart attack. “You would think with all the technical advances they would have come up with a superior way to tell us class is starting.” I grumbled.

“Erudite?” She questioned looked confused, was she making a game out of this?

“Again, shut up.” I was thankful all classes were cut in half today, I don’t think I could manage to keep my focus on one thing for too long. I was buzzing with nervous energy.

I was making my way from my last class to the lunch room, after lunch we followed an instructor through a door that was always locked and blocked off. This door led us down a corridor and into a waiting room, this waiting room contained 10 rooms where people would administer the aptitude test. I was lucky I haven’t puked yet.

I sat with my friends from Candor, Christina and a few other girls. A few boys came up to us and attempted to flatter us, the other girls played along but I sat there awkwardly wishing I could magically summon my brother. 

“Come on Alessa, go on a date with me.” 

“Joseph, for the 20th time, no. Leave me alone.” It surprised me that he was this stupid, he obviously wasn’t going to be an Erudite. 

He smirked and twirled a strand of my hair, I saw red. I punched him square in the face. “You fucking bitch!” he screamed, I didn’t know why I was so mad. Peter ran up and dragged me far away. Too far away to be held responsible for what just happened, no one saw either. 

“He ask you out again?” Peter said as he washed the blood from my hand, thankfully it was all Josephs. 

“Yes and then started getting a little too close for my comfort.” I shrugged, I shouldn’t have freaked out but I did and I didn’t regret it. 

“Okay, remember what I do. Now let’s go. Testing is starting and all this shit is random so I don’t know when we’re getting called.” 

We turn the corner and Molly and Drew nearly run us over, Peter scowled. “What were you two doing? They called your names! We couldn’t find you.” Molly grumbled, her breath smelled like cat piss and death.

“I saw Joseph bleeding and I started feeling like I was going to puke so I ran to the bathroom” I lied, it was easy. 

“I was pissing, let’s go” Peter was back to showing that side of him, I didn’t like it. 

“Hi Alessa” Drew smirked, immediately I felt like I was two feet tall. “You want to come over this weekend?” his smile was too toothy, his teeth looked rotted and like he never brushed them. 

“I’d rather die” I said bluntly, his face contorted in anger. “Now if you’ll excuse me I don’t want to keep my brother waiting” I pushed past him and nearly tackled Peter, I told him what happened and I’m pretty sure the only reason he didn’t turn around and kill him was because we were now in a room full of people. 

“Ah, yes. Alessa and Peter Hayes? An older lady asked us, she wore Erudite blue and wore glasses attached to a chain that went around her neck. 

“Yes ma’am” I smiled and walked forward, she motioned for me to enter the room that was clearly marked ‘6’ and for Peter to enter room ‘8’. He offered me an encouraging smile, he knew how nervous I was. I told him everything, Candors were open about everything but I think our family was different from the others. We held a little too many secrets. Peter lied too easily, the truth serum didn’t fully work on mother, and other things I only caught glimpses of. 

“Hello” I greeted the dauntless lady that was readying the wires. “I’m Alessa Hayes.” She looked up before grabbing a clipboard and marking down something. 

“I’m Tori” she smiles, it isn’t full and offers that she lost someone she loves. I knew I shouldn’t ask. She has small, dark, angular eyes and wears a black blazer and black jeans. 

I turned and sat on the metal chair that was padded in the area that you sat. It was like a dentist chair, I didn’t like the dentist because he always stabbed my cheek and tried to set me up with his son and set Peter up with his daughter. 

I looked around the room, the walls were mirrors even the ceiling was. It made me uncomfortable because the only thing I could do was look at myself and I didn’t particularly like myself. I focused instead on Tori, she was less severe looking than the younger dauntless members. “Do you have tattoos?” I asked, curiosity got the better of me. 

“I do” she didn’t elaborate. I was squirming in my seat, nearly falling out of it. She sat in the chair and bent to continue with the wires, “I have two main ones, they signify two things I overcame. One is the hawk on the base of my neck. In some parts of the ancient world, the hawk symbolized the sun. Back when I got this, I figured if I always had the sun on me, I wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. The other is a river on my forearm but I don’t think I’ll tell that story.” Her smile faded. That was the story of losing the person who took her smile with them. Did he drown?

“Thank you for telling me.” I said, “When I was younger I was afraid of the dark and my parents would get so mad so I would lock myself in a dark closet with my cat, Cally, until I didn’t feel like crying anymore. I’m not scared anymore either, in fact, I like it.” She looked at me with something strange glinting in her eyes, something I’ve only seen in Christina’s, sympathy. 

“I think that was very brave of you but now we must get to the test, okay?” she connected wires to my head then hers before handing me a vial of pale orange liquid. “Drink this.”

“For the simulation?” I asked, she nodded with a curious expression. I suddenly felt like I said something wrong. I took a shaky breath before quickly drinking the contents of the vial. My head was foggy and my stomach was churning. 

I blinked, I was standing in a room in Candor. It was obvious it was Candor. There was no furniture other than two pedestals. Both had baskets, one with cheese and one with a knife as long as my forearm. I looked them both other when a voice spoke, it was female and sharp. Confidence and power ebbed and flowed through her voice. 

“Choose one.”

“Why do I have to choose?”

“Choose one.” She repeated, more sternly. 

“What am I going to use them for?” I crossed my arms, anger furrowed my brow. 

“Choose!” she screamed.

“No!”

“Fine” I whipped around expecting something to come at me, I was right to expect that.

A dog entered the room snarling, muscle coiled like wires, tense, and ready to attack. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” I muttered to myself. Was my brother going through this same thing? He would have chosen the knife, he would have killed the dog. I can see why the cheese would help me, I looked behind me but the baskets were gone. “Motherfucker, okay, think.” I took a deep breath and calmed myself and though back to biology class. I remember that human glands secrete a chemical when in a state of duress like their prey. I didn’t fear the dog. I watched the dogs’ stance, he was an alpha and I had to treat him as such. I couldn’t threaten him. I bowed my head and very slowly lowered myself to my knees, the dog pranced forward and sat in front of me. 

I looked up and held out my hand, he sniffed it for a few seconds before licking my face. I let out a stream of giggles, “Good boy!”

“Puppy!” I heard a little girl cry out.

“Fuck” I look up to see a little girl with dark hair and pale green eyes, dressed in a flowy white dress.

She squeals again, “Puppy!” she couldn’t be more than three. She ran forward, the dog was snarling again.

“Stop!” I yelled, the little girl stopped dead and looked at me as I launched myself between myself and the dog. The dog pounced and went to take a chunk out of my throat but used all my force throw the dog to my right. 

“Bad boy!” I growled, the little girl grabbed my leg and followed close behind me. The dog whimpered, I crouched beside him and started petting him. “Come on boy, be nice” the little girl toddled out from behind me and crouched too even though she didn’t have to. 

“Puppy?” she questioned, I smiled.

“Yes, pet the puppy.” She did, he growled but I growled in response and he quieted. I heard another growl but not from the dog in front of us, he was now playing with the little girl. 

I turned to see another dog, bigger, and foaming from the mouth. “Dammit.” I pursed my lips, the same tactics wouldn’t work again. I ran at him as he ran at me and tackled him, my arms around his neck. His whimpers caused tears to trickle from my eyes. I shut my eyes tightly and when I opened them again I was gripping a pole.

“Whoa” I muttered, I looked around. I was on a bus, I had rarely been on a bus because I had always preferred walking. Except every time I did Peter insisted he come with me so obviously Molly and Drew tagged along. I hated them and I hated that side of him. 

“Have you seen this man?” I turned to see the man standing in front of me, any visible skin was burned and scared like he got in a knife fight with a fire. He was pointing to a picture on the front of a newspaper. The headline read ‘Brutal Murderer Finally Apprehended!’ I took it into my hands and looked it over, studying the picture. He looked familiar but I don’t know who he was. He was a young gentleman with a beard and cold, unforgiving eyes. 

“He looks familiar, I think I know him.” I handed him the paper and he smiled. 

“You saved me” his voice was strained, relieved and happy and sad all at once.

I nearly jumped from the metal chair. Tori looked at me with confused eyes. “Impossible” she barely whispers. 

“What is?” I ask but she unplugs the wires and hurries out of the room. I feel nauseas, I stand and vomit on the floor. “Ugh, gross” I groan and lean of the mirrored walls with my eyes tightly shut, I was clutching my churning stomach. 

“Alessa” she started when she came back in the room, “Oh” she stopped and made a sour face. “I guess what I said wasn’t a lie, you really did get sick.”

“Drinking serums makes me sick.” I dry heaved almost vomited again, she called for a janitor to clean it up. When he was done she asked for him to leave the supplies in case it happened again. 

“Now what were my results?” I asked, she pursed her lips.

“Alessa, I’m sorry but your results were inconclusive. I believe you already know how this works, each stage of the simulation eliminates one faction until one remains.” I nodded, I suspected that. “You are something people find very dangerous, you are divergent. But not just divergent, you are the most divergent person I have ever seen. Your test eliminated no factions.”

“How dangerous is being divergent?” I asked, my heart was thumping a thousand times a minute and a tsunami was taking place in my stomach, I had to fight to keep the waves of puke down. 

“Extremely, your brain works differently. It pulls you in many directions instead of just one. And there are people who will kill you for that. I entered your result as Abnegation.” I didn’t want to be in Abnegation, I don’t think I could be selfless enough to be one of them. 

“Alright. I’m going back out there, my brother is waiting.”

“No, you need to go home. You’re sick and have a lot of thinking to do, waiting wouldn’t be beneficial. Go, I’ll tell him you got sick and you had to leave.” I nodded, she handed me a small bucket, “Just in case, be careful kid.”

“Whoever you lost, I’m sorry they took your smile with them. You’re brave and strong, the true meaning of dauntless.” I said, I didn’t look back I simply walked out of the room. My heart was still hammering in my chest and the tsunami found its way out of my throat. I spent the next few minutes vomiting into the bucket. Finally I felt like I was done, I hid the bucket in a bush and was about to walk home but I knocked over an Abnegation girl.

“Oh shit, I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and I was just puking into a bucket, are you okay? Wait are the girl that got knocked over this morning?” I helped her up and brushed off her clothing, a strange tingling spreading through my fingertips and cheeks. 

“Oh, I’m okay. And yes. I was in the way.” She falter, “Uh, erm, are you okay?”

“I mean, I’m fine. No need to ask how I am, you’re the one who got knocked over but you are Abnegation so I’m guessing you’re taught to do that but also kind of faltered so I’m also guessing that wasn’t your test result.” I smiled, her eyes were wide with fear. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask or make you tell. I have secrets too.”

We started walking and talking, she offered to walk me home first. I took the offer. “So, I’m guessing you got sick too?” I asked. She nodded uneasily, “I thought I was going to be the only one, well this is the entrance into Candor so I’ll let you go, Beatrice. Ya know, you look more like a Tris, the abbreviation for your name.” I smiled, I’d have to learn to keep my mouth shut if I chose to change factions. 

By the time I got to my room, undressed, showered, changed into night clothes, and readied for dinner Peter was home. It had taken him awhile. “Are you okay?” he asked, he looked worried which meant his lackeys weren’t here. 

“I got really sick because we had to drink the serum, I didn’t know that” I shrugged, he gave me a hug and helped me set the table. We ate together since our mom and dad didn’t get home until very late then wanted to be left alone, they weren’t very nice people. 

“I know we aren’t supposed to tell people our results but I don’t care, you’re my little sister.”

“I was born three minutes after you.”

“Meaning I am three minutes older” he smiled smugly, oh how I wanted to slap that smug smile off him. I smiled and started in on my dried toast. Shitty dinner but my stomach couldn’t retain much food right now. “Man I’m sorry you can’t eat this, you make the best grilled chicken and mac-n-cheese.”

“Eat your broccoli, you’ll grow big and strong” I mimicked our mother in a high pitched nasally voice. He smiled and stifled a laugh as he ate his broccoli.

“So, my test results. I got dauntless and a little bit of candor but mostly dauntless. That’s what I’m choosing tomorrow, dauntless I mean.” I smiled, I was going to lose my brother I chose candor or what Tori entered me as. 

“What were your results?” he asked through a mouthful of food, I puckered my face. “Oh, sorry” he covered his mouth.

“It’s okay, my results were dauntless and erudite” I smiled, technically I wasn’t lying. I was divergent, I was all of the factions. It made me feel powerful and weak at the same time. 

“Then tomorrow let’s join dauntless together, Molly and Drew are joining too” 

“I hate them and I know you’re not too fond of them either, like if I just pushed one of them off of a cliff you wouldn’t care unless they scratched me when I did. Then you’d find their bodies and stab them.” I took a sip of my water, he choked on his chicken from laughing. I giggled. 

After dinner he did the dishes then we went up to bed, I was going to choose dauntless tomorrow. I was going to risk everything to stay with my brother. My asshole brother that was only nice to me, maybe I could find him a nice girl for him to settle down with. And when visiting day come mom will bring me Cally and I’ll hide her for the remainder of the time I don’t have an apartment. 

I settled into bed, Cally snuggled into the crook of my neck and started purring until I fell into a deep dreamless sleep. 

Hey, thanks for reading. Review maybe?


	2. Wait girls are hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alessa is confronted with strange feelings when seeing pretty females, one naked.

Heyo, I still don’t own anything except new characters and events. I make no money and all rights go to the rightful owners and stuff.

 

“You’re being ridiculous!” my mother chided, “You will wear the dress and the heals, you are a girl.” I wanted to strangle myself. I wanted to strangle myself. It was just a waiting game to see who I actually strangled this time. 

“Fine” I grumbled, I grabbed them from her hands and quickly dressed before throwing on a blazer as well. I did my make-up and hair, put on my necklace and then looked at myself in the mirror. 

 

“See, you look much better in a dress.” She smiled.

“Yeah, better” I rolled my eyes and tried to move past her but she grabbed my shoulders. 

“I know you’ll make the right choice today” she said it a little too forcefully, she squeezed my shoulders. Suddenly I was glad I was leaving her and my father. Peter came in, still in his pajamas, and made up a quick lie.

“I need Alessas’ help, I don’t know what to wear and she’s so fashionable.” He flashed his smug smile, I half smiled as mom let me go.

“Oh, dear. I could help you or your father could.” She reasoned, but Peter shook his head.

“No thanks mom, I’d rather Alessa help me.” With that I followed him to his room, his clothes were laid out on his bed. I sat on the chair in the corner of his room. “You okay?” he asked as he started getting dressed. 

“Yeah, I guess. I’m just glad that we’re leaving today” 

“I couldn’t agree more.”

An hour later and our parents were taking their seats while Peter and I stood with other 16 year olds that would be choosing today. I saw the girl from yesterday a few pew people in front of us. She was beautiful, like a doll. With large grey blue eyes and a long thin nose, her features are both striking and beautiful. 

My heart started beating faster and my palms were sweaty, “Are you okay?” Peter whispered since Marcus was giving the speech. 

“Oh, uh, I think so. I fell weird, maybe I’m still sick.” I wiped my hands on my blazer and calmed my breathing, I hoped I didn’t puke. I didn’t feel like I was going to, maybe I was just nervous. 

Marcus started calling names in reverse alphabetical order, Beatrice looked to be debating between Abnegation and Dauntless. Her home and maybe where she was meant to be. After moments of silence she chose dauntless causing whoops and cheers from them, I smiled to myself.

After a few more minutes Peter was called up, he sliced his hand and dripped his hand over the dauntless coals. Another roar of whoops and cheers erupted, he shot me an encouraging smile as he made his way to the dauntless section. 

“Alessa Hayes” Marcus called, my heart stilled. I willed myself to walk forward but my world was tilting. I took the knife from Marcus and sliced my palm, crimson blood sprang up. I watched it as it dripped down into the dauntless coals, I took a napkin and a Band-Aid. Dauntless cheers erupted as they welcomed me, I cleaned off the blood and placed the Band-Aid on the cut. 

Peter hugged me tightly then we waited for everyone else to be called and for them to choose. Drew and Molly were some of the last to choose and of course they chose dauntless, I don’t know why I ever hoped I would be free of them. They act like my brothers shadows. 

“Alessa!” Christina shouted, I had been looking for Beatrice but she was rather short and some of these people were rather tall. 

“Chrissy!” she tackled hugged me, I think she would do well in dauntless. “This is crazy.” I laughed. Peter scowled at her and walked away with his friends.

“You would think your brother would have gotten use to be by now” she huffed, “And, I know. I think we’re insane” she smirked. 

Everyone started leaving, walking with polite smiles but not the dauntless. The dauntless started fucking running. “Oh motherfuckin’ no” I groaned, Chrissy laughed. She was wearing sneakers. She probably knew this would happen. 

“Let’s go” I grumbled, we took off with the dauntless. Down the stairs and out of the building to the train tracks. My chest hurt. “Running in heels is a big no-no” Chrissy smiled as we started running again, this time we were going to jump on a fucking train. How wonderful. A train. Chrissy was behind me, I threw my weight sideways into the train car and landed on my arm. Peter grabbed me and pulled me to my feet. 

“Be careful.” He whispered before going to his friends, I guess this was how it was going to be now. Chrissy jumped in, I pulled her up. We were both breathing hard, like our heart was about to explode or about to jump right out of our chests. 

We heard a thump moments later, Chrissy looked out and pulled in a girl. Beatrice. They slumped against the floor laughing, Chrissy looked up to me and held up her hands to me. I took them and she pulled me down. “Okay, is it just me or are they trying to kill us?” she laughed. Beatrice laughed breathlessly. 

“They’re jumping!” Peter yelled, I stood and looked out of the train car. He was right, dauntless born were jumping out of the train cars onto the roof of a building. 

“Time to get up.” I smiled. I moved to the other opening of the train car and smiled at Peter, he seemed scared but thrilled. “Ready?” I asked, he nodded and took my hand. We jumped, it seemed like forever but it couldn’t be more than a few seconds. I landed on Peter, which I’m sure he did on purpose. 

“Are you okay?” he asked after I helped him up.

“Yeah, I’m good, no gravel touched me. Are you okay?”

“My back hurts” he smiled before jogging back to Molly and Drew, Christina and Beatrice jumped and landed a few feet away from me.

“Hey guys!” I waved as they walked over with smiles, Chrissy was laughing and pulling gravel from her hair. 

“Do you think we get to do that again?” she asked as she looked between us, she was definitely going to fit in here in dauntless. 

“I hope so” I nudged Chrissy with a smile. Beatrice still seemed exasperated, like adrenaline was still pumping through her veins. Her pale blonde hair was windblown and her eyes were wide

“Do you like her?” Chrissy whispered in my ear, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

“What are talking about? She’s a girl.”

“Yeah, so? A girl can like a girl.” She smiled playfully at my confused expression. “Ya know what, we can talk later. I’ll explain everything my confused little ladybug.” 

A scream of pain and horror nearly gave me a heart attack, we looked to see a dauntless born boy holding back a dauntless born girl who was screaming and crying. We looked over the ledge, a girl was on the pavement 15 stories below. Her limbs were bent at odd angles and blood spilt from wounds. The dauntless born weren’t safe. We weren’t safe. I barely heard anything over the roar of blood in my ears, I turned and walked away as fast as possible. 

I bumped into a young dauntless man, he looked down at me. “Hello there” he smiled at my expression.

“I’m sorry I bumped into you. I just saw a dead body, it was the first time. Dead body virginity is gone” he laughed and walked away to the ledge, he stepped up and called everyone to attention.

“Alright, listen up initiates. I’m Eric, I’m one of your dauntless leaders. If you want to enter dauntless this is the way in” he motioned past the edge where he was standing, maybe they were trying to kill us. “If you don’t have the guts to jump then you don’t belong in dauntless.” He half smiled, mischief twinkled in his eyes.

A boy with scruffy blonde hair and pale green eyes spoke, “Is there water at the bottom or something?” he was dressed in erudite blue. 

“I guess you’ll find out, or not” Eric replied, still smirking quite smugly. I think he would either get along quite well with my brother or they would hate each other, no in between. 

The boy mumbled something to Beatrice, she just shrugged and made a face. It was funny and surprisingly cute. 

“Well, someone’s gotta go first” Eric looked at each of us, “Who’s it gonna be?” 

“Me” Tris said without hesitation, I smirked. She definitely wasn’t a Stiff. She walked forward and shakily and stood on the ledge, took a deep breath, then jumped. There was no screaming and no sickening crack or splat so I know she was safe. 

After a few minutes, Eric asked, “Who’s next to jump?”

“Me” I walked forward but had a hard time steading myself. 

“Might help to take off the heels” Eric suggest. 

“Holy shit, I don’t have to wear heels anymore.” I took them off and held them in my hand, Eric picked me up and set me on the ledge. 

I looked back to see Peter staring at me with wide scared eyes, I smiled and jumped. I laughed and seconds later I landed on something hard, my limbs tangled with it, my heart hammered and adrenaline was pumping through me. I laughed again as I was pulled out by a guy with olive skin and dark blue eyes.

“Hey there” I was out of breath, I landed with a small thud. 

“What’s your name?” he asked, his breath smelled like onions and cake.

“Alessa”

“Second jumper, Alessa!” he called, I walked over to Beatrice. 

“I changed my name” she smiled sheepishly, “My name is Tris now.”

“Tris, how does it feel to officially be a dauntless initiate?”

“Amazing” she laughed. A few minutes later Chrissy and another girl, a dauntless born with a curvy body and wavy mousy brown hair. She looked at us with unsure eyes, although they lingered on me. I felt the blood rush again, I looked away and busied myself with the edge of my dress. 

I put my heels back on incase anything sharp was on the floor. I didn’t want to impale myself.

A woman introduces herself as Lauren when all the initiates are present, we follow her, Eric, and Four down a few corridors. But I stop when I notice that the fourth jumper walked down a different corridor, I follow her closely but quietly. It’s not long before she turns and tries to back me against the wall but I’ve seen Peter, my father, and my mother use that same move too many times. Instead I have her pinned against the wall with my forearm against her throat. 

“Hi” I puffed my cheeks, she snarls in return. 

“Why are you following me?” 

“I wanted to see where you were going”

“Why”

“You’re interesting.”

“No, I’m not. I’m going to go shave my head.”

“See, interesting. But you shouldn’t shave it, maybe I can cut it for you. Like a really short haircut. More intimidating I think.”

She narrows her eyes at me, “Excuse me?”

“You’re going to shave your head because you want the boys to feel threatened or intimated by you and not go easy on you or anything like that because you’re a girl” she strained to look at my close.

“You aren’t an erudite.” 

“Oh, no. My mom originally was though, father was originally dauntless. They liked to flaunt it to my brother and me.”

“So, you want to cut my hair?” she asks. I smiled and unpinned her.

“Yeah, could be fun, I cut my brothers and few neighbor kids. I cut mine” I was leaning on the wall, she flipped us and had her arms on either side of my head. I swear my heart had never beat faster, not when I jumped off the ceiling or the train or anything. 

“Then let’s go” she smirked, I made a noise that vaguely sounded like a whimper. She stepped away, turned, and started walking. 

I definitely needed to talk to Chrissy. Which, honestly, she shouldn’t go by that nickname anymore. Chris, maybe. 

I followed her down corridors and up flights of stairs, into darkness, and into the paling sunlight. After a few minutes we were in an apartment, an older woman was sitting in the front room cleaning a gun.

“This is my mom.”

“Hello dear, call me Cheyenne.” She smiled without looking up.

“My name is Alessa.”

“Initiate?” she questioned with a raised a brow.

I looked down at my clothing, wasn’t it obvious? 

“Uh, Alessa. My mom is blind. She doesn’t leave the house.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I am a transfer from Candor.”

“Ah, the mouthy type” she smirked, the same smirk Lynn had. 

“Anyway, I was going to show her something real quick” Lynn interrupted, we walked past her mom and walked down a hall to the last door on the right. We entered, it was the bathroom. Was I hoping it was her room? Oh god. I felt my blood rushing to my face and my stomach fluttering.

She sat on the edge of the bathtub with her feet inside it. “The clippers and scissors are in the top drawer.” I grabbed the things and began chopping her long hair off. 

A few minutes later and I announced I was done, she stripped her clothes off and turned on the water. I turned around as she showered quickly, my heart was hammering. Soon she finished, dressed in clothes that were on the counter, dried her hair, and then cleaned up her hair on the floor.

“So?” my voice sounded strange. 

“So what?” she questioned as she looked in the mirror.

“So, do you like it?”

“I do, probably better than I would have liked it shaved. Don’t know how you talked me out of it. We should get going. I’ll explain what you need to do, my sister has already passed initiation so I know everything. 

On the way to the cafeteria she explains what I’ll go through, it sounds horrible but I can do it. “Do you already regret switching factions?” she questioned.

“No, of course not. I prefer to regret nothing. If I may ask you, how did your mother become blind?”

“Already starting to learn your place.” She half smiled, “A serum that was still in the process of being made, it wasn’t perfected or tested yet. It sprayed in her eyes because she chose to protect another person, she became blind and the person she save exiled himself because he couldn’t carry the shame.” She sounded bitter. “That person was my father. If I can even call him that, good for nothing asshole” she snarled. 

“Maybe one day you’ll run into him and get to make him regret leaving, regret being an idiot. Looks like he lost a lot.” She looked down at me, she is a few inches taller than I am. 

“Thanks, I like that you don’t look at me like I’m damaged goods or an orphaned kitten.”

“You’re not an orphaned kitten but maybe you are my kitten” I smiled then realized what I said and wanted to through myself off a cliff, I am an idiot.

She laughed to my relief, “Maybe you’re my kitten” We walked into the cafeteria, she waved goodbye and I made my way to where Tris and Chrissy sat. 

“Hello my babies” I grinned as Chrissy and Tris looked up at me with confused smiles. Four looked at me confused too but without a smile. “You are not one of my babies” I puffed my cheeks.


End file.
